text:
Liquid Life/Totenkinder
Connected to: SCP-2077
Special Containment Procedures
SCP-545 is considered to be three individual parts, and thus each part may be stored differently.
SCP-545-A is to be kept in a two-room, residential containment unit at Site 17 furnished to her liking. To date, she has not requested a TV, radio, nor any contact with the outside world beyond a walk through a park or woods at least once per week, available to her upon request. During said excursions she is to be accompanied by a team of 4 armed security personnel and at least one researcher familiar to her. SCP-545-A is allowed to leave her containment and spend time in Level 0 and common areas, provided that she notify two Level-2 security personnel ahead of time and is supervised during the duration of her leaving her room. SCP-545-A poses no immediate threat to any personnel, provided that they are reminded not to make assumptions about her strength, speed, or intelligence based upon her appearance.
All samples and bottles of SCP-545-B are to be packaged and placed in the appropriate storage unit, under lock. Only authorized Level-4 security personnel or higher may be allowed to handle, transport, or study SCP-545-B. Drinking SCP-545-B is strictly forbidden and punishable by immediate termination, unless under testing protocol. All requests to study and test SCP-545-B must be submitted at least a week in advance, and approved by a head of Site research, if not an O5-level operative.
SCP-545-A's unit is also to contain a small garden under sunlamps, available for her to work in. No poisonous plants are allowed after Incident 545-6b.
SCP-545-C is to be locked in a quad-locked secure storage vault in Site-17's Precious Items wing.
SCP-545 may be determined as three separate parts.
SCP-545-A appears to be an elderly woman, presumably of Eastern European descent. 1.5 m (5 ft) in height, and 73.9 kg (163 lbs) in weight, giving her a short, plump build. Her skin, although deeply tanned and heavily lined, is devoid of blemishes or liver spots otherwise common with age. Her hair is thick, completely white and past her waist when let down, although 545-A prefers to keep it up in a tight bun. Her eyes, despite her age, are a bright, clear blue and devoid of cataracts or fogginess. As a reward for good behaviour and cooperation, she has been allowed to choose a wardrobe of simple and traditional dresses and eyeglasses. Despite appearing to be 80+ years old, 545-A is in exceptional health, with no weakening of the heart, bones, or respiratory system. And although of average human strength, her senses are noted to be above-average, and she scores a general 115 on a standard IQ test.
SCP-545-A claims to be over 800 years old. This claim has yet to be disproved.
SCP-545-A prefers to be called a number of names and dislikes the SCP designation number. She will respond to "Grannie", "Beatrice", "Ms. Widow", and has taken a liking to Dr. ██████'s nickname for her- "Totenkinder". She displays a generally pleasant personality and enjoys activities such as sewing, cooking and gardening. SCP-545-A often requests conversations and walks outside as well. Despite SCP-545-A's penchant for acting like a kindly older woman, she displays no remorse for her use of SCP-545-B/C.
SCP-545-A also displays a pathological fear of death and an addiction to SCP-545-B, and she complies with Foundation personnel under threat of being deprived of her supply of SCP-545-B. As the only known long-term user of SCP-545-B, 545-A's information is considered invaluable.
SCP-545-B is a colorless, odorless liquid extracted from the body via 545-C and bottled. It is often dubbed "Liquid Life" due to its properties. Under examination, 545-B appears to be slightly more viscous than water, but varies in direct texture and taste. 545-B has no unique properties until ingested.
Drinking SCP-545-B extends the life of the user, slowing the process of aging and often either slowing or completely ridding the body of disease. It may even be used to heal major wounds if drunk quickly enough. Repeated use of SCP-545-B may prolong life indefinitely, but results in a strong dependency upon its properties and many frequent users show borderline sociopathic tendencies in regards to the creation of SCP-545-B. To date, the SCP Foundation keeps a limited supply of SCP-545-B and allows for production only for study of SCP-545-C.
SCP-545-C is a thin, weathered sheet of yellow parchment, in surprisingly good condition; carbon-dating places it to be at least 600 years old. SCP-545-A claims to have copied SCP-545-C from the original document containing SCP-545-C's instructions. For lack of a better term, SCP-545-C contains a recipe in Middle English for extracting and distilling SCP-545-B from the human body. Full contents of SCP-545-C are undisclosed in order to prevent unauthorized personnel from creating SCP-545-B. Key portions include
- Ingredients list, including such materials as live leeches, skullcap seeds, chicken fetuses, snake skin, ginger root, mandrake root, lily-of-the-valley-water, spider eggs, and nearly two dozen more items, in varying amounts. The most prominent ingredient appears to be a living human being, preferably a child. Multiple ingredients on this list have been noted to match the ingredients used in instances of SCP-2077
- Supplies list, including a boiling pot large enough for a child or other human along with water and many ingredients, and a strainer made from fresh spiderwebs among other things.
- Instructions list, detailing rather elaborately the exact amounts of materials and timing needed to successfully create, distill, and bottle SCP-545-B.
SCP-545-A is able to recite and act upon SCP-545-C by heart; the exact mechanisms of the process that creates SCP-545-B are still unidentified.
"Magic" is not an acceptable answer. There has to be some sort of process here that allows for this to happen, it can't just "happen" because "it works."
Dr. ██████
Addendum: SCP-545 was located in a small Midwestern town, under the guise of an elderly woman with mild dementia. The woods her residential neighborhood were located in led to an area near a river that was prone to sinkholes and had a small history of children becoming lost or dying in the woods before. Her neighbors describe her as kind and caring, and had no suspicions that she may be anything more than a lonely, elderly widow with a penchant for giving neighborhood kids small treats in return for collecting their used glass bottles. She was located and captured by [DATA EXPUNGED]
From SCP-545-A's own memory, she has been repeating the same process for quite a while. She buys a small house in a relatively dangerous area and keeps the supplies for SCP-545-C with her, or manages to find and produce them. She collects glass bottles via the neighborhood and over time gains their trust. She describes the process of capturing children for SCP-545-C as being relatively easy. She simply goes for a walk and pretends to be lost, or talks kids into accompanying her home under the promise of food and candy. She admits to doing this at least once every five years or more.
She claims to have been using this process for at least 800 years, but has admitted that even though her aging has slowed to a crawl, it hasn't stopped completely, no matter how much SCP-545-B she produces and ingests.
SCP-545-B is not to be used or distributed even in cases of emergency. Failure to comply will result in termination.


text:
On March 11, 2011, I was sitting in a coffee shop in Berlin, dressed appropriately in a black turtleneck and leather jacket, reading about the terrible Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear disaster. The next day I read that the German government was pushing for "Atomausstieg," which is German for "let's retire all nuclear generating capacity." Eighty percent of Germans surveyed were in favor of this move. The nine remaining German nukes are being phased out and the last one will shut its doors by 2022.
The Energiewende Law, which was proposed only months before the Fukushima disaster, was enthusiastically approved in 2011 and has led to rapid growth in the penetration of solar PV and wind power across Germany, as the advertising below indicates.
While there is no way to establish causality here, no one can argue with the fact that the installed cost of PV has come down by 66% in a decade. And the creation of the German market could have had something to do with this. In 2012 Germany (1.1% of the world's population) had 32% of installed solar capacity globally, according to government figures. And capacity continues to grow – 2014 installed capacity was 113% above that in 2010, suggesting a 21% growth rate.
This has come at a cost. While owners of PV installation have to pay for some of the cost of the solar panels privately, the average German household now pays about 260 Euro per year to subsidize renewables, which is nothing to sneeze at. But it's also not the end of the world as some have suggested (about the equivalent of a Starbucks latte twice a week, which unlike the renewable subsidy, does not come with a green halo). The Energiewende enjoys less, but still strong, public support. So now the government is starting to contemplate what to do next to achieve its ambitious emissions reduction goal of 80% by 2050.
Sigmar Gabriel, who is Angela Merkel's Energy minister, has started talking about something called "Kohleausstieg" (German for Coal Exit). When visitors from Germany to the Energy Institute lunch table mentioned this, I thought I misheard. But I had not. There is a slowly emerging vision of the German energy system, which will no longer have domestic baseload generation. Just say Nein to coal and nukes. This is fascinating. Let's take a look at what estimated power supply looks like in May 2012 versus 2020:
What we are seeing here is the huge variability in generation of renewables, which of course does not line up quite as beautifully with demand as has been pointed out elsewhere. This picture also shows nicely that by 2020 renewables are generating more power than is demanded (at least on the weekends). And if the installation trend continues, this will be true for most weekdays, too.
This means that we may not need the always-on baseload (coal and nuclear in most places). In one version of the world you use fossils that ramp up quickly to meet residual demand (e.g., gas from Russia). In a second version of the world you use clean hydro power from Northern Europe instead. In a third version, which is the one Elon Musk would like you to consider, you use a giant battery in your house, which stores renewable power at times when there is plenty of it to be had for cheap (requiring a pricing revolution).
I am a confessed hip-/techie. I like the last version of the future. But I have some questions.
While writing this blog post I was surprised by how similar California's and Germany's energy policies and challenges are. Both places are pushing hard for an almost fossil free future using a combination of market based policies and huge number of competing standards. Both places have political leadership proposing radical long range policy targets, which we do not necessarily know how to achieve. Both places are relatively wealthy. Both places have industries that have been at the forefront of technological innovation, especially in the STEM fields.
Germany, specifically, has been at the forefront of pushing new distributed generation technologies and shouldering much of the cost of the global energy transition. This is laudable. California is along for the ride and doing its part. It looks like we might be the ones leading the charge on designing cost effective storage. Thanks Elon.
While I don't think a coal free Germany is necessarily an unrealistic idea, I want us to keep our eye on the prize. What we should shoot for are drastic global reductions in CO2. Germany and California are small. If what comes out of our policies is a way to drive coal and natural gas up the merit order in places like China and India, this would be the real success.
Cross-posted from the blog of the Energy Institute at Haas (tag line: Research that Informs Business and Social Policy).

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Re-Release + Trailer & Excerpts: A FIGHTER'S DESIRE by L.P. Dover
What would
you do if you were given the chance to spend the night with not one, but two
fighters? Would you do it? Could you open yourself up to the pleasures they
offered and do exactly what they said in order to pass on to the next round?
It was
common knowledge that Ryley and Camden Jameson, well-known MMA fighters and
identical twins, were just as aggressive and passionate in the bed as they were
in the ring. The only problem was that if you didn't pass their test on the
first night, then you didn't proceed to the next round. They loved a good
fight, and that's what they got when they met Ashleigh Warren.
knew what was going to happen when the twins approached her with a proposition,
and needless to say, she knew exactly how to handle them … or so she thought.
The rules had changed, and in order to get them both she had to first spend one
night with each and last until they were done with her. It was a proposition
she couldn't refuse, but she knew it wouldn't be easy to win. However, it was
one that she was going to enjoy.
When you're
told to stay away from someone or something it only drives the urge to go after
it more. In this case, that was exactly what happened. For years, Gabriella
Reynolds—younger sister of MMA's Heavyweight Champion, Matt Reynolds—was warned
by him to stay away from his fighter friends; she deserved better and they
would only break her heart.
Did she
listen? Yes, for a while, but temptation can only consume you so much until you
fall into its trap. There's a certain fighter she's interested in, and it just
so happens that he's her brother's best friend, the only one that is completely
off limits to her. However, she's not the only one fighting temptation. Tyler
Rushing can't deny his attraction to her, but he's afraid she'll want more and
he can't give that to her. When he finds out that's not the case … everything changes.
Secrets can
be dangerous, but they can also be thrilling and intense. Gabriella and Tyler
have no choice but to keep their time together a secret … and it's a secret
that'll stay with them forever.
don't even know me," I challenged. "Why do you want me to be your date? You saw
me for one second when you were up in the ring. I could be the biggest bitch in
the world for all you know."
"That could be true. If you want the honest
truth," he said, gazing down my body, "I saw you in that red dress and all I
could think about was how hot it would be to fuck you in it."
in my gasp, I tightened my legs together to keep my clit from throbbing out of
control. It pissed me off that my body responded to him, but it could also be
because he was so close; brushing his heated body against mine, and smelling so
amazingly delicious. The wild side of me wanted to tell him to take me right
then and there, but the logical side wanted to slap the shit out of him.
you honestly get women by saying stuff like that?" I asked dryly, without a
hint of a smile.
grin grew wider. "Most of the time. So what do you say? Do you want to be my
date for the night … the whole
my mind screamed at me.
I snapped, making his smug smile disappear. "I'm not one of your little
groupies, Ryley, and I sure as hell am not going to beg for your attention like
what you're used to. You need to find someone else. I'm not interested."
You just lied again, I
scolded myself.
on my heel, I headed for the door and opened it, only to be stopped by a hand
grasping my arm and the door shutting quickly in front of me. "Don't you see? I
don't want anyone else. I saw you and
you are what I want."
I turned around and yanked my arm out of his hold. "Tell that to someone who'll
believe you, Ryley. I don't fall that easily, especially for someone who hasn't
had to work for a woman. You'll have to do much better than that."
Or else I'm not going to play the
Breathing hard, I stepped out of
Tyler's reach and started for the door, much to his dismay. "Why are you here,
Keeping my back to him, I paused
with my hand on the knob, and blew out a heavy sigh. "I told you. When I want
something, I get it. I wanted to see you."
"You're walking a dangerous line,
Gabriella. I don't do relationships, and I don't plan on starting … even if it
is with you."
I glanced at him over my shoulder.
"Well, then I guess it's a good thing I don't want one with you either. Look,
Tyler, I'm only here for the weekend. If you want to see me again you know how
to find me. No strings, just you and me."
USA Today
Bestselling author, L.P. Dover, is a southern belle residing in North Carolina
along with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she even began her
literary journey she worked in Periodontics enjoying the wonderment of dental
Not only
does she love to write, but she loves to play tennis, go on mountain hikes,
white water rafting, and you can't forget the passion for singing. Her two
number one fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime and those
songs usually consist of Christmas carols.
Aside from
being a wife and mother, L.P. Dover has written over nine novels including her
Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, and her standalone novel, Love,
Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read is romantic suspense and she
also loves writing it. However, if she had to choose a setting to live in it
would have to be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae.


text:
JAMAICA – Law fraternity opens arms to attorney with drug convictions - by
December 20, 2017
Article by
Published on
December 20, 2017
December 20, 2017
Barbados Today firmly discourages any commentary or statements that are libelous, disruptive in nature or incites others to violate our Terms of Use. Any submissions made on our comment section, are solely the views of the individual and not Barbados Today.
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text:
By Keri Wilk, Joe Tepper and Matt Weiss
There has been a recent revolution in the camera industry, creating an emerging class of camera that lies somewhere between an SLR and a compact camera. These models are characterized by their compact sized bodies, lack of a reflex mirror, large sensors, interchangeable lenses and top image quality. Dubbed Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lenses (EVIL), this new format of camera is geared towards photographers who require smaller, more portable bodies than an SLR, but have more power and function than a compact camera.
There are only a handful of EVIL cameras on the market, but they have a great potential in the underwater photography industry. EVIL cameras are likely to grow in popularity, as gear laden underwater photographers try to strip their kit to meet the airlines continually stricter baggage weight requirements. So far, other than the Olympus PEN-2, the Sony NEX-5 is the only EVIL model that has made it's way into the underwater photography market; and that's because it is an impressive camera.
As a company rooted in electronics, Sony built an electronic-centered camera that bills as the world's lightest interchangeable lens digital camera. When Nauticam announced their high-end housing for the NEX-5, we had to see what all the hype was about and bring it underwater.
We would like to extend a special "thank you" to our official retail partner, Backscatter, for lending us their very own NEX-5 system and Nauticam NA-NEX5 housing to put through its paces. We tested the setup in the waters surrounding the Caribbean island of Curacao. The island's clear waters and laid back diving schedule were as ideal for testing and reviewing camera systems as they are for any dive vacation. Thank you, once again, to our friends at Lions Dive and Beach Resort and Ocean Encounters dive center, who made sure that our busy schedule ran as smoothly as possible and who helped make the trip a great success.
The NEX-5 For The Underwater Photographer
The Sony NEX-5 boasts a 14.2 MP APS-C 23.4 x15.6mm sensor, which is similar in size to that of the Nikon D7000, and about 9x times the size of the popular G12! It shoots 1080i HD movie and accepts all e-mount lenses, a completely electronic series of lenses created exclusively for Sony EVIL cameras. Like most cameras released today, it has a large 3" LCD screen and performs well in low light situations.
Specs at a Glance
- Large 14.6MP Sensor
- Full Manual Controls
- One-Touch control of important functions
- Video Resolution : MP4 HD: 1280 x 720/ 30p
Camera Build
The most impressive aspect of the Sony NEX-5 is how small and light it is. Weighing in at only 287g (.63 lbs), it's almost a third as heavy as the Nikon D7000, with a similar sensor size. In fact, we often used both the Nikon D7000 and Sony NEX-5 in their respective Nauticam housings in the same dive, and were blown away by how light NEX system felt. However, the camera does not feel cheap or delicate, as it is made magnesium alloy.
Image Quality
Despite the compact appearance of the NEX-5, the heart of the camera is its large 23.4x15.6mm APS-C HD CMOS sensor. This sensor is nearly 13 ti
mes the size of most compact cameras. The ability to shoot in RAW is especially attractive for serious photographers looking to have more control over their photos in post processing, taking full advantage of those 14.2 megapixels.
Sony NEX-5 Operation and Key Underwater Settings
Unlike many of the early EVIL cameras, whose design and operation seemed to copy that used by most SLRs, the NEX-5 is clearly catered toward compact camera users with a small body and minimized number of function buttons. It even includes a full user's guide built into the menu, which helps beginner photographers learn the camera's functions. While the ease of use is nice for beginning photographers , it is still more than capable enough for a seasoned veteran.
The downside to the Sony's minimalism in buttons is that there aren't dedicated dials for your key exposure settings. If you have firmware version 03, you can customize the center and bottoms buttons on the camera. However, the requirement to hold a button and enter an additional menu just to adjust exposure feels tedious after using an SLR or a top compact, like the Olympus XZ-1 and Canon S95, both of which have two dedicated control dials to adjust important settings independently and with ease.
Shutter lag is one of the major problems with all compact cameras. This is a particularly frustrating problem for underwater wildlife photographers, whose subject could flee before the shutter is fired. The NEX-5 does not have the near instantaneous shutter reaction of an SLR, but it is noticeably quicker than a compact camera. Still, the lag can be quite frustrating when shooting more timid or moving subjects.
Sony NEX-5 Underwater Lens Options
A common slogan among SLR users state is, "it's all about the glass." This means that lenses that are important to image quality, just as much as the camera. The ability to change lenses on EVIL cameras is one of their main selling points, especially when you consider that compact cameras rarely carry lenses with useful focal lengths for underwater shooting. However, while the NEX-5 is compatible with Sony's line of E-Mount lenses, there are only two that are especially practical for underwater photography: the E 18-55mm zoom and the E 16mm/2.8 wide-angle. While we didn't review the 16mm lens, it can be equipped with a VCL-ECF1 Fisheye converter to give you the angle of view required for underwater wide angle photography.
Instead we tested the 18-55mm lens, with which we felt limited as SLR users.
At its widest setting, 18mm, the lens is ideal for shooting medium sized subjects like small sponges and fish profiles. The 16mm and fisheye adaptor are better suited for reef scenes and larger corals; and the 18mm should be saved for medium sized subjects.
At the opposite end of the focal length spectrum, the 55mm setting is useful for shooting subjects the size of a fist or larger. With the 55mm lens alone, the nine-inch plus minimum focus distance is only able to capture macro at a ratio of 1:3. Therefore, you will have a difficult time creating compositions of subjects much smaller than 4 inches. While considered blasphemy to some, because of the exceptional image quality of the NEX-5, it possible to crop shots so the smaller subject fills the frame better. The use of a macro-wet lens, which we discuss later, is really the only way to approach shooting true 1:1 macro.
So while interchangeable lenses can be considered one of the main advantages of an EVIL camera like the NEX-5, the lack of practical underwater lens options currently detracts from the camera's usefulness as underwater camera system. The availability of a real macro lens, that is capable of 1:1 magnification, would significantly enhance the value of the NEX-5 for an underwater photographer.
ISO performance has become one of the cornerstone measurements for testing cameras above water, but low light shooting is not always as important underwater. Although the NEX-5 features an ISO range similar to SLRs of 200-12800 and preformed well up to ISO 1600.
Nauticam NA-NEX5 Housing for NEX-5
Composed from anodized aluminum, the NA-NEX5 housing has both a professional look and feel. In fact, with the same interchangeable port system and patented locking mechanism as the company's SLR housings, Nauticam's housing for the NEX-5 looks almost like a miniature replica of one of it's SLR big brothers.
The housing features dual fiber optic ports, as well as a button controlling the camera's pop-up flash mechanism , giving photographers who want the most lighting options possible full control. The selection of available ports compliments the options of E-mount lenses already in existence, as well as many of the ones waiting in the wings.
The NA-NEX5 housing provides access to all essential camera controls, which is to be expected given limited buttons on the NEX-5; but it includes a number of creative ways to operate controls.
The shutter button is in the piano key style, as is the same with all Nauticam housings. Compared to some of the other piano keys found on housings, Nauticam has done a good job of providing tactical response on the NA-NEX5's shutter button to easily half press when focusing. Unlike using a button or lever, the piano key does not extend from the housing, but is recessed into surface of the housing. This makes the housing more streamlined, but it takes sometime to get used to re-locating the button. Despite the small finger grove embedded into piano key control, we would have to actually look at the housing to find shutter button almost every time after changing strobe position or settings.
One exceptional control is the rear wheel, used primarily to adjust manual settings. Nauticam got it right with the wheel's large diameter and deep grooves, which lets the user turn it quickly and with precision.
Another useful control is the "rocker switch" that is used to switch back and forth between video and playback modes. One direction activates video mode, and the other activates the playback mode. It's like having two buttons in one, and makes alternating between the two modes efficient, while also saving real estate on the housing.
The zoom gear on the top left of the housing was the only dial with which we had difficulty operating consistently with tray and strobes attached. The dial is very small, and even a minimal turn results in a large change in zoom. We would have preferred a larger diameter zoom dial to be able to more finely adjust the lens' focal length.
Strobe Connectivity
The NA-NEX5 housing features two fiber optic ports. There is no option for an electronic bulkhead.
Wet Lens Options
Despite its excellent image quality and large sensor size, the NEX-5 suffers similar problems to its compact counterparts underwater when using a zoom lens. With the camera's zoom lens alone, the minimum focus distance and 55mm lens combine to create only a 1:3 macro ratio- way to small to fill the frame with macro subjects.
A macro wet lens will reduce the focus distance between camera and subject to create a 1:1.13 replication (really as close to 1:1 reproduction as possibly with a compact or EVIL camera). With just the lens, you will only be able to fill the frame with a subject larger than 3 inches, while with an adaptor you can fill the frame with subjects down to one inch.
Nikonos Lenses?
As mentioned, the lack of lens options, particularly a macro lens, is major drawback of using the NEX-5 system. There is a unique workaround that might suit some shooters – the use of the old Nikonos V lenses via an adapter. The drawback of these lenses is that they will not autofocus, but they have long been heralded as exceptionally sharp lenses, and are currently the only way to shoot true macro with the NEX-5.
Final Word –Who Should Consider A Sony NEX-5?
Even at first glance, it is clear that the NEX-5 is not for SLR shooters looking to shave some excess weight off their overall kit while maintaining the same quality camera. The limited buttons, lack of lenses, and slight shutter lag will cause frustration to any experienced SLR owner.
However, there is no denying the superior image quality of the camera.; and for compact camera users looking to upgrade, but unwilling to take on the expense or weight of a SLR, the Sony NEX-5 and NA-NEX5 housing is exactly what you have been waiting for. Essentially if you are heavy traveler and want SLR quality, and are willing to sacrifice some of the features of an SLR for a more portable, pocketable sized camera – you have found your perfect match.
The equipment we used or mentioned in this article is available from our retail partner, Backscatter. Please support DPG and articles like this one by supporting our retail partner. Equipment list:
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text:
TEL AVIV - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas proposed on Tuesday that Israel carry out a gradual three-year withdrawal from the occupied West Bank as part of any future peace deal, an offer that fell short of Israeli demands.
He gave the timeframe in an interview shown at an international security conference in Tel Aviv, where Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon challenged the effectiveness of the Palestinian leader's current security commitments.
"I am saying that clearly: whoever proposes 10 or 15 years for a transition period does not want to withdraw," Abbas said. "We say that a transitional period not exceed three years, during which Israel can withdraw gradually."
Abbas has spoken in general terms in past meetings with journalists of a phased pullout from the West Bank after a final land-for-peace accord, similar to Israel's three-year withdrawal from Sinai after it signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979.
Israel's demand for a continuing military presence in the Jordan Valley, the likely eastern border of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, has been a major issue of contention in U.S.-brokered peace talks that began in July and have since stalled with the two sides far apart.
Israeli officials have called such a deployment vital to their country's security, voicing concern the West Bank could become a staging ground for Palestinian militant attacks if Israeli troops pulled out completely. Some officials have advocated a 40-year Israeli military presence.
Appearing to address those fears, Abbas said the Palestinians were willing for a third party, such as NATO, the U.S.-led alliance, to "take Israel's place after the withdrawal ... to assure both sides that things will continue as normal". Foreign powers have been helping build up Abbas's security services in the West Bank and ward off any challenge from breakaway Hamas Islamists who control the Gaza Strip.
At the conference, Yaalon poured scorn on the commitment of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank under interim peace deals, to follow through in moves against Palestinian militants.
"We counted 1,040 cases that were handled by the Palestinian security services in 2013. How many of them went to trial? Zero," Yaalon told the conference hosted by Tel Aviv University's INSS think-tank.
In the same period, Yaalon said, Israel had arrested some 3,000 Palestinians, many of whom were later imprisoned.
Yaalon is a stalwart of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who balks at Palestinian calls to remove Jewish settlements from the West Bank. Yaalon ratcheted up acrimony this month with an Israeli newspaper quoting him as dismissing U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the peace patron, as "messianic".
Asked what his administration was doing to maintain West Bank calm, Abbas said: "All the security forces are devoted to performing their duty to prevent arms smuggling and their use within the Palestinian Authority or Israel."
A U.S. official briefed on the West Bank situation was hard put to explain the disagreement between Abbas and Yaalon.
"It's true that we haven't seen trials" of Palestinian suspects held by Abbas's administration, the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. But, the official said, that did not mean there was no Palestinian security enforcement.
Asked if that meant Abbas's forces might be dealing with suspects away from public view, the U.S. official said "yes".
With the peace talks at a virtual standstill, two surveys, by the INSS and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), released on Tuesday found that 67 percent of Israelis and 70 percent of Palestinians do not believe a permanent peace accord can be reached.
The INSS poll surveyed 1,200 Israeli Jews, while 1,270 Palestinians were interviewed by the PSR in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Both polls have a margin of error of 3 percent.


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The buzz on Jennifer Batten rose from the guitar underground, and the guitar magazines promptly began chronicling her savvy musicianship and highly original approach to the electric guitar in print.
At one point Batten was in 6 different bands, playing everything from straight ahead rock, to metal,fusion, and funk. A major turning point came when she was selected from over one hundred guitarists to play in Michael Jackson's highly skilled band which toured the world for one and a half years playing for over four and a half million people. Jennifer wasted no time after the" Bad" Tour's grand finale, diving into work on her own album with renown producer (and Stevie Wonder guitarist) Michael Sembello. The stunning results can be heard on "Above, Below, and Beyond", the title appropriately describing the interesting diversity within. With this debut release, the world at large learned what all the excitement was about.
Shortly after the record's release in the spring of '92, she was asked again to join Michael Jackson for his upcoming "Dangerous Tour". In January '93, she joined Jackson to partake in Superbowl XXVII's half time entertainment which aired to one and half billion people in 80 nations. It was the largest audience in television history.
She completed her second solo record "Jennifer Batten's Tribal Rage~Momentum," just before she was again asked to join Michael Jackson for his 2 year world tour supporting his double album "HIStory" in 1997.
Jennifer's Tribal Rage project took a much different direction than her first record and is heavily influenced by world music. It is a hybrid of rock and very exotic sounds, including African percussion, Australian didgeridoo, Caribbean steel drums and Scottish bag pipes.
In the spring of 98 Jeff Beck asked Jennifer to join his band. They joined forces for 3 years on the CD's "Who Else", and "You Had It Coming" which were both supported by world tours.
Other guest appearances include CD's with Carmine Appice, Michael Sembello, Carl Anderson, Carina Alfie and several rock tributes.
Jennifer has authored two music books and ihas just released her third solo CD/DVD entitled "Whatever". With this 3rd effort, she's ventured into electronica, vocal samples, and film. She's supporting this release with a multimedia one woman show, playing guitar in synch with films projected onto a giant screen. The companion DVD includes over 90 min of art films, previously unreleased music videos, interviews, commentary, and an innovative guitar lesson.


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The "Ou-ma-too', or Five Horses' Heads. [China Antique Print].
London. Fisher & Son. (circa 1845). Black and white steel engraving. Image measuer: 12.5 x 19.8 cm. Light tanning and three close tears on margin, very good condition. An engraving from China in a Series of Views, Displaying the Scenery, Architecture, and Social Habits of that Ancient Empire, Drawn from..... More


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Saturday, January 26, 2008
Audities Best of 2007 List.
1. Fountains Of Wayne -- Traffic And Weather (685 points)
2. The Red Button -- She's About To Cross My Mind (501)
3. The Nines -- Gran Jukle's Field (326)
4. Future Clouds & Radar --Future Clouds & Radar (269)
5. Paul McCartney -- Memory Almost Full (268)
6. Bruce Springsteen -- Magic (241)
7. Amy Winehouse -- Back To Black (231)
8. John Hoskinson -- Pancho Fantastico (225)
9. Wilco -- Sky Blue Sky (217)
10. The Broken West -- I Can't Go On, I'll Go On (206)
11. Nick Lowe -- At My Age (205)
Robert Plant and Allison Krauss -- Raising Sand (205)
13. Crowded House -- Time On Earth (202)
14. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (198)
15. Rooney -- Calling The World (194)
16. The New Pornographers -- Challengers (192)
17. Maple Mars -- Beautiful Mess (171)
18. Lewis Taylor -- The Lost Album (168)
19. Farrah -- Cut Out And Keep (165)
20. Ken Sharp -- Sonic Crayons (156)
And the rest of the Top 50
21. The Shins -- 155
22. Frisbie -- 136
23. The Clientele -- 134
24. Jason Falkner -- 130
25. Ryan Adams -- 129
Jackdaw 4 -- 129
27. Ian Hunter -- 126
28. Silverchair -- 123
29. Band Of Horses -- 105
Jens Lekman -- 105
31. Myracle Brah -- 102
Automat -- 102
33. Ice Cream Hands -- 100
Kaiser Chiefs -- 100
35. Apples In Stereo -- 92
36. Lily Allen -- 90
37. P. Hux -- 88
38. LCD Soundsystem -- 86
39. Rilo Kiley -- 85
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists -- 85
41. Travis -- 84
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings -- 84
43. Everybody Else -- 83
44. The Weakerthans - 82
Relient K -- 82
46. Graham Parker -- 81
47. Nushu -- 78
The Well Wishers -- 78
49. Mike Viola -- 76
50. Nicole Atkins -- 74
Josh Rouse -- 74
Well the Audities #1 didn't even crack my top 125. Of course my list is more focused on power pop and some offshoots whereas the Audities lists invariably have a lot of "indie rock" on them. However, FoW is as power pop as it gets, but Traffic & Weather just didn't do anything for me. It's not that I have anything against them - their previous three proper releases would have been on my lists had I done them those years, especially 1999's Utopia Parkway. This effort sounded like FoW by the numbers, and although they've always had a "formula" (just ask Robbie Fulks), this disc was all formula and little inspiration when it came to the tunes. The short stories they're famous for in the lyrics continue to be great, but it seemed that they were concentrating on the lyrics at the expense of the music this time around. It wasn't a bad disc, just not a particularly memorable one.
Meanwhile, what seemed to me uninspired efforts from big names (McCartney, Wilco, Crowded House) took high spots, the inevitable result of democratization of a list (97 participants here) where name recognition often trumps quality. Of course it's all subjective, but that's where I come down. I thought The Red Button might take the prize, but I'm still glad to see my #1 at #2 here. The Nines won last year, so third place wasn't a surprise. Interestingly, although I prefer last year's Calling Distance Stations to Gran Jukle's Field, I had the former at #23 last year and the latter at #10 this year, mainly due to this year's top 25 being weaker from 5-25 than last year's was. I'm also glad to see The Broken West, Ken Sharp and Maple Mars get their due. Speaking of name recognition, I see Jason Falkner at #24; luckily, this was a Japan-only release or it would have likely received an unwarranted top 10 spot.
I'm not even going to discuss Amy Winehouse.
5 comments:
Hello Steve, i'm Emmanuel from Under The Tangerine Tree...Some comments about the Audities' list:
1- I agree with you, Traffic & Weather is the worst F.O.W. release so far and didn't hit my top 100 as well.
2- Also, the big names' latest records aren't really that inspired...Sky Blue Sky? Boring; Macca? couldn't say anything bad about the man but his latest isn't a good work i think; Time On Heart? Nothing Special really...
3- Amy Whinehouse??? AARGGHHH!!!
4- Why nobody likes the stuff i have in my top 5 (except the Future Clouds)??? And why nobody likes the stuff in YOUR top 5 (except the Red Button)?? I mean, what about considering the Foreign Films???
5- This year i've read several awful lists on the Audities, maybe my tastes are moving farther...Or the tastes of the mosts are just horrible? (I've seen number ones that i wouldn't even have put in my top 750).
OK, stop bothering now....
Bests! - 7:05 AM
- Mike Baron said...
I agree with you too, Steve. The Audities list seems weak. Our lists, however, are increasingly brilliant.
- Unknown said...
man your blog is awesome, you have so much content!
I just started my very own music blog, do you think you could check it out and offer some advice?
please check it out and let me know what you think!
thanks - 10:39 PM
I understand your frustration about FoW's win. I put the record on my list, but not at the top of it. The fact that a preponderance of folks did the same thing pushed it to #1.
It'd been interesting to see first-place votes included in the count, as is done elsewhere. I doubt if even 10 of 97 voters listed it #1 if the votes posted to Audities are any indication. But I can't be too bugged by the winner, since my real #1 record of the year, Sloan's NEVER HEAR THE END OF IT, was ruled ineligible (for arcane, annoying reasons). - 11:59 PM
- Unknown said...
See, FOW actually will be at the top of my list when I get around to making it, but I should add the disclaimer that FOW is without a doubt my favorite still-working band, and a formulaic FOW album is still going to hit all my pleasure centers. Plus, I actually *really* like this album--moreso than WIM, I think--and thematically it also dovetailed with where I was *at,* mentally, this year, with a big relocation on the horizon.
That said, I unsubscribed from Audities about a year ago and have been using this blog as my main forum to hear about new music. This list sort of reinforces that I made the right decision--I was tired of the bickering, sexism, ageism, whatever--and all of the mounds of praise that would be heaped on mediocre new records by dinosaur acts while there was not much discussion of new artists anymore. This list is entirely predictable and frankly, entirely boring. And yes, how do things like the new Wilco record (which I thought was an utter bore) make it so high?
Out of curiosity, what did you have against the Jason Falkner? I actually did really like that record... as is typical for him it grew on me significantly over time. - 10:03 AM


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SEATTLE -- Russell Wilson matched his career high with four touchdown passes - two each to Sidney Rice and Zach Miller - and the Seattle Seahawks dominated as expected in a 45-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Seattle improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2006, beginning a stretch of four straight games against the AFC South. And none will likely be easier than overwhelming the Jaguars.
Wilson connected with Miller twice in the first 16 minutes on TDs of 1 and 4 yards. He hit Rice for an 11-yard TD late in the first half and found him again on a 23-yard touchdown early in the third quarter.
Wilson checked out with 3:54 left in the third quarter and finished 14 of 21 for 202 yards. The four TD passes matched his performance last December against San Francisco.
Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press
Relive Russell Wilson's performance against the Jaguars with NFL Game Rewind


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How to make old-skool jungle-style breaks
Choose a sample
Step 1: First, you need a suitable starting point. Most jungle and early drum 'n' bass loops were based on samples from funk records. A couple of popular examples were used extensively, manifesting in an almost infinite variety of distorted forms.
Slicing to MIDI
Step 2: To chop your breakbeat up rave-style, you need to slice the drum loop into its component parts. The easiest way to do this is to use your DAW's Slice to MIDI/ Sampler option. Set it to slice every 16th-note - this will create a MIDI note for every 16th-note in the drum loop.
The original loop
Step 3: Mute the original and open up the piano roll for your new MIDI instrument. If your DAW doesn't create a clip automatically, draw in 16th-note MIDI notes working up the scale, as shown. Playing this back should sound exactly the same as the original loop.
Creating variations
Step 4: The fun begins here! Dragging the MIDI notes directly up and down (not left or right) changes the hits that they trigger. Experiment with this to make your own variations on the loop.
Editing hits
Step 5: Once you have something that sounds different to the original in terms of groove, it's time to move onto the serious business of making it freaky. Add pitchbend to individual hits, particularly snares. A considered approach is needed here to get something that sounds good.
Finishing off
Step 6: Removing certain notes can give the loop a sense of shuffle. Here, the 'less is more' approach is key, so experiment with that in mind. As a final flourish, make a copy of your MIDI part and double the length of all the notes. This will provide a downtempo alternative that you can use alongside the original version.
Shuffle edit
Double time


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Minn. head shop owner says fake pot ban won't work
The owner of a Duluth head shop says a new federal ban on the sale of five chemicals used to make synthetic marijuana won't make much difference - he'll just stock brands that use other, still-legal substances.
Jim Carlson, owner of the Last Place on Earth, said he will still stock top-selling brands of fake pot, which contain organic leaves coated with chemicals that provide a marijuana-like high when smoked.
"We're just going to pull in the ones with different compounds - and they are readily available," Carlson told the Duluth News Tribune.
Synthetic marijuana has been sold in drug paraphernalia shops and on the Internet under various brands including Spice, K2, Blaze and Red X Dawn. The Drug Enforcement Agency's ban, imposed Tuesday, affects only five chemicals used in the products.
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Carlson said that with about 210 similar chemicals available, the manufacturers will try to keep one step ahead of the government
"Unfortunately he is correct," said Barbara Carreno, a DEA spokeswoman in Washington, who confirmed Tuesday that many suppliers are offering retailers products with new chemicals. "There are many of these substances and we chose five common ones because we don't have the resources to study all of them."
Federal drug officials announced plans for the emergency measure in November amid increasing reports of bad reactions including seizures, hallucinations and dependency. The ban is scheduled to remain in place for at least one year while researchers study the five chemicals.
Neither the banned chemicals nor the other ones that might take their place in synthetic marijuana products have been tested in humans, Carreno said, so nothing definitive is known about their short- or long-term effects on people. She said it's dangerous for people to ingest these substances when they don't know what the physical or psychological effects will be.
Synthetic marijuana is a "highly profitable business," Carreno said, but most of the chemicals come from overseas, and many retailers have no idea what the active ingredients in the products are, and they may buy from dishonest suppliers. So that makes it even harder for consumers to evaluate what they're smoking, she said.
The Last Place on Earth is one of four Minnesota head shops that have sued to block the ban. A federal judge threw out their lawsuit in January, saying it was premature because the DEA had not yet acted.
But their attorney, Marc Kurzman, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press he filed papers in U.S. District Court and with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday seeking again to block the ban. He contends the DEA has no authority to ban the chemicals and that its claims about their effects are false. Now that the DEA has imposed the ban, Kurzman said he believes the courts will rule in his clients' favor.
The other stores in the lawsuit are the Hideaway in Minneapolis, Down in the Valley in Golden Valley and Discontent in Moorhead.
"We just think they're overstepping their boundaries and treading on the Constitution," Carlson said. "We plan to take it to the Supreme Court."
And Carlson said he doesn't think his sales of fake pot will be stymied.
"Let's say I had a liquor store, and you like gin . and they say you can't have gin anymore," he said. "Well, you're probably going to keep coming back, but now you'll buy vodka."
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
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www.dundeescotland.co.uk brings you a selection of online retail websites featuring goods and services available on the internet.
You can browse our up to date databases to find great online offers. Use the Choose Products option to find a specific item or Choose Categories for types and styles of items.
When sale items are available they will show the previous price and the sale price.
When you find something you like, click on the item button for further information, or to check stock availability and make a purchase from a retailer, just click on the Buy button.
The Buy button just takes you without commitment to the item on the retailer's website and you only choose to buy after you have viewed the details on their site and decide to make your purchase.